


Falling Backward

by MargotSails



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, No cheating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 13:31:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21254168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MargotSails/pseuds/MargotSails
Summary: A face from Charity's past turns up unexpectedly, causing tension between Charity and Vanessa.





	Falling Backward

Vanessa has just gotten back from a call out and is at the pub trying to unwind. Charity is working and Vanessa’s not ashamed to admit that watching her work is one of her favorite things. Since moving out of the Woolpack she doesn’t get to do it as often as she used to.

It's pretty crowded with the usuals and several people she doesn’t recognize. Charity and Chas are moving around each other easily, filling orders. She smiles as Charity snarks at Jimmy who is just trying to get a refill. Finally, after a light scolding from Chas, Charity finally grabs his empty glass and fills it. She looks her way and rolls her eyes.

They’ve been married for eight months now. And even more in love with each other, which is surprising considering how fast and hard they fell for each other in the beginning.

After what happened with Kirin, she had given up on love. Given up on having someone to raise Johnny with. She didn’t need anyone and wasn’t looking for anyone when Charity swept her up into her storm.

Now she can’t imagine not having Charity or her crazy family in her life. Charity and she are a team raising their kids together. But Vanessa lives for the time it's just her and Charity alone in their bed after the kids are fed and asleep. When just her and Charity are cocooned together in bed nothing between them, physically or emotionally. It's not just about the intimacy of sex. It goes so much deeper. She’s never been this deep into a relationship. Obviously not, since she’s never married before but more than that she’s never opened up to anyone as she has to Charity. Telling her things she had stuffed so deep down within herself it took Charity’s love to pull them out and free her.

“You ok babe?” Charity is standing in front of her, worry wrinkling her brow, “I’ve called your name like three times,” Charity grasps her hand over the bar. It’s just something she does naturally at this point.

“I think I’m just tired. Its been a rough day,” she admits.

“You don’t have to go back do you?” The warmth of Charity’s concern spreads through her.

She smiles, “No, I’m heading home after I finish this,” she gestures to her pint. “I probably have time for a nap before dad brings Johnny home.”

Charity sighs, “I wish I could come with you. But Chas is still bitching about me leaving early last week.”

Vanessa smirks, “Well you left so we could have afternoon sex.”

Charity laughs, “Yeah, that was fun,” she smirks devilishly.

“I guess its a blessing in disguise if I actually want to get any sleep,” Vanessa teases.

“Yeah, you have a point,” Charity’s voice lowers and her eyes darken. But they're interrupted by Chas loudly calling Charity’s name.

She’s just drained her the last of her pint when a shout brings the pub to a standstill.

“Charity Dingle you dirty cunt,” the voice is female and loud. It belongs to a woman Vanessa has never seen before. She’s a redhead and wearing a dress that leaves very little to the imagination.

“Kate?” Charity’s voice draws Vanessa’s attention to her. She doesn’t seem upset. She’s actually rushing around the bar.

Vanessa watches as Charity and the woman embrace and she tenses when the woman kisses Charity far too enthusiastically for her taste. She glances at Chas who just shrugs and shakes her head.

Charity and the woman are talking and laughing, Vanessa’s hackles rise as the woman grabs Charity’s boobs and they burst into laughter.

“Uh, are you going to introduce your friend Charity?” Chas breaks the silence.

Charity looks around seemingly noticing the attention of the whole pub.

“I’m Kate,” the woman holds her hand to Chas. “Me and Charity go way back.”

Vanessa is surprised by the words. She’s never heard Charity mention a Kate before. She gets up to move beside Charity.

She holds out her hand, “I’m Vanessa. Charity’s wife.”

Kate’s eyes widen and she smirks, raking her eyes up and down Vanessa’s body, “Well, well, look at you.”

Vanessa’s defenses are raised until Charity wraps an arm around her waist and squeezes reassuringly, “Before you say anything you should remember she is the mother of my children, yeah?” the threat is barely veiled.

Kate smirks and bows her head slightly, “Point taken. Big difference from your normal fare.” She’s staring at Vanessa, making her uncomfortable.

“She is,” Charity looks around the room noticing the audience still watching them. “Shows over people, time to mind your own business.” Everyone immediately looks away.

“Still a bossy bitch I see,” Kate shakes her head.

“Of course I am,” Charity says haughtily. Then she turns to Vanessa, “Why don’t you go ahead and head home babe, you’re running out of rest time.”

There’s a small part of her brain that feels like Charity is just trying to get rid of her because of Kate. But the same caring worry is in her eyes as before.

“Yeah, I’ll see you in a bit,” she kisses Charity much more deeply than she normally would in public and has to smile at the slightly unfocused look Charity has when they part.

When she wakes up from her nap Charity still isn’t home even though she was due back half an hour ago. The door opens while she’s cooking.

“Why’s Charity in the pub with some woman?” Tracy walks in carrying Johnny on her hip.

Vanessa sighs, “She’s some old friend of Charity’s that just showed up earlier.”

Tracy leans against the counter and steals a carrot, “She was all in Charity’s personal space. They looked like a couple.”

“What do you mean looked like a couple?” Vanessa can feel herself getting angry. She was already in a bit of a mood.

“It was more the other woman, she was sitting on the same side of the booth with Charity. Like right beside her. And kept touching her arm and leg.”

Vanessa sighed in frustration, “Of course she was.”

Tracy seems to finally sense her mood, “Uh, Charity wasn’t encouraging it of anything,” she says.

“Yeah, I’m sure she wasn’t.”

Tracy thankfully changes the subject and keeps Vanessa’s mind off Charity and Kate.

It’s not until the middle of the meal that Charity walks through the door. She greets the excited boys first, making them giggle by tickling them. She then greets Tracy who had decided to stay and an indifferent Noah and Sarah who have been playing on their phones since they walked in the door.

When Charity leans down to kiss Vanessa on the cheek she smells like alcohol, cigarettes and another woman’s perfume. Vanessa finds herself leaning away from the contact. If Charity notices she doesn’t acknowledge it. She carries on like nothing is going on. Vanessa silently seethes, barely participating in the conversation around her.

Charity cleans up the dishes and mess from cooking and then they play with the boys and convince Noah and Sarah to watch a movie with them. It’s still fairly early by the time they get the boys settled into their own beds.

She’s sitting on the bed when Charity walks into their bedroom, she walks right up to her.

“I know you’re mad at me,” Charity puts her hands on her cheeks and makes her look at her. “I’m going to shower because I stink and then I’ll explain a little more,” she drops a quick kiss on Vanessa’s head and rushes around the room grabbing clothes and rushes out the door.

Vanessa flops on her back with her legs still hanging over the edge. She’s still in the same position when Charity walks back into the room. The unfamiliar smells have been replaced with the comforting smell of Charity’s nightly lotion.

She feels Charity kneel at her feet and then hands rub up her thighs. She sits up trying hard not to react to the touch.

“I’m sorry. She took me by surprise. She’s always been a bit wild.”

“Why have you never told me about her?”

Charity shrugs, “I don’t really think of that part of my life. We were really close back then, but as cruel as it sounds I haven’t thought about her since the last time I saw her.”

Vanessa nods, “That’s fair enough,” she rubs her hands along Charity’s arms, that are laying along her thighs.

“We both worked the same places. I haven’t seen her for over twenty years.”

“Were you ever together?” Vanessa doesn’t know why it matters. Something about the way she had touched Charity. Like she belonged to her.

“No,” Charity answers adamantly. “We had a drunken fumble in an alley one night but that’s all.”

Vanessa runs a hand through Charity’s hair and she leans into the touch, “I don’t like how she touches you,” she admits.

Charity sighs and puts her forehead against Vanessa’s chest, “I know. I handled that badly. I was thrown off my game.”

“I think I was jealous,” Vanessa says quietly. “She touched you like you belonged to her,” She feels ridiculous but Charity’s face softens.

Charity sits up moving between Vanessa’s legs, pulling her closer, “No. I belong to you. You have nothing to be jealous about. Ever,” she kisses her softly. She runs her hands under Vanessa’s shirt along her back. The move is familiar and a sure way to get Vanessa to relax.

Vanessa leans forward placing her head against Charity’s hair. She runs her hands against her neck simply taking in the smell and feel of Charity’s hair. One of her favorite things in the world. Charity looks up and kisses Vanessa softly. They kiss for several minutes before they finally move onto the bed. She lays on her side with Charity wrapped around her. It doesn’t take her long to drift off to sleep.

She wakes up smiling because they’re in the same position. Anytime she’s been in a relationship she had always had issues with sharing a bed. She had the tendency to feel a bit claustrophobic. But with Charity, she loves being completely enveloped by her. And more often than not, that’s exactly what happens.

Their very first time together Vanessa had been surprised that Charity was quite the cuddler. She had been waiting for Charity to turn cold and run her off. But Charity had pulled her closer instead. It hadn’t kept Vanessa from panicking and running the next morning, but it was still a nice memory.

“Why are you thinking so loud,” Charity’s sleep roughened voice comes from behind her.

Vanessa chuckles, “I was actually thinking of our first time together,” she answers honestly. “I was really surprised at how much of a cuddler you were.”

Charity laughs, dropping a kiss on Vanessa’s shoulder, “Nobody was more surprised than me. I never was one before you.”

Vanessa turns until she’s facing Charity. She looks beautiful sleep tussled and drowsy, “So what you’re saying is,” she moves until she’s straddling a smirking Charity. “That you were smitten from the get-go.”

Charity pulls her close with a hand behind her neck, “You know I was,” she says before kissing her deeply. They kiss until the sound of running feet sounds down the hall, stopping outside the door. They both roll their eyes. Its time to start the day.

After many long and frustrating hours, Vanessa finds herself wandering into the pub. She’s supposed to be meeting Charity, but she’s nowhere to be seen. Chas is behind the bar and her dad and Tracy are sitting in a booth with Johnny and Moses eating.

“Where’s Charity?” she asks Chas when there’s a lull in customers. She had expected Charity to come out from the back but it had never happened.

“She left with Kate around lunchtime, left me right in it. She didn’t tell you she was going?”

Vanessa pulls out her phone to double-check it, but there are no messages from Charity.

Tracy walks up beside her, “She texted me asking me to pick up the boys and to make sure you eat your tea. Said she would be back in time to put the boys to bed.”

Vanessa glances at her phone again but no messages have magically appeared. She sees Tracy and Chas share a look and can feel her anger rising.

The boys have been in bed for nearly two hours by the time Vanessa hears the door downstairs open. Then Charity’s heavy footsteps sound coming up the stairs and down the hall. Vanessa’s happy the kids are heavy sleepers.

The door opens surprisingly quiet considering the noise that had been coming from downstairs. She can tell Charity is trying to be quiet but failing for the most part.

“I’m awake Charity,” she finally puts the other woman out of her misery.

“Oh, good,” Charity’s words are slurred.

“Where have you been?” Vanessa asks as Charity shuffles to her side of the bed, banging her knee against the corner.

“I told you,” Charity mutters as she fights with her boots.

“No, you didn’t Charity,” her frustration is rising.

Charity flops down on her side of the bed still fully clothed. She wrestles her phone out of her pocket and drops in on the bed between them, “I did.”

Vanessa picks up the phone and taps it open. On the screen is a message telling Vanessa where she’s going, but Charity hadn’t pressed send, she sighs, “You didn’t send it.”

A hum is her only response as Charity drifts off to sleep. The only thing that keeps Vanessa from storming out of the bedroom is Charity’s hand reaching out and grasping her arm. Charity’s need to always touch Vanessa while asleep popping up even completely wasted.

She lies awake for a long time before dosing off and then it feels like only seconds later her alarm is going off. Charity doesn’t budge. She sleeps through the morning, missing sending the kids off, which they usually do together when they can.

It's barely noon when Vanessa gets a call from Chas saying that Charity is drunk with Kate. She’s absolutely fuming when she slams into the pub just in time to see Charity and Kate slam back a shot, “Charity!” her voice carries through the slightly crowded bar and she’s pleased when Charity jumps, startled.

“Hey babe,” she smiles, her eyes are bright meaning she’s well on her way to being bladdered. “What are you doing here?”

“Chas called to tell me you were drunk. Its the middle of the day Charity,” her voice rises with each word.

“What? She’s not allowed to have fun?” Kate decides to speak up.

“No one gave you permission to speak,” Vanessa snarks at the unwelcome addition to the conversation. “You have responsibilities Charity.”

Charity looks down, guilt flashing across her features.

“I think you need to undo a few of them buttons love,” Kate reaches for the buttons at the top of Vanessa’s shirt. She smacks her hand away, making Kate laugh.

“You know what Charity, I’m tired of this. You can find somewhere else to sleep for the night.”

Charity’s head jerks up but before she can say anything Kate starts again, “Don’t worry love, I’ll take real good care of her.”

With fury running through her veins Vanessa storms out the door, nearly toppling over an elderly couple who had been coming in.

She doesn’t see or speak to Charity for the rest of the day or the majority of the next. The only communication between them is Charity taking their orders when she has lunch with her dad and Megan. It's awkward but Charity has a stubborn streak in her and the only one to match it is Vanessa. She had been relieved to learn from Chas that Charity had stayed at the pub the night before, snapping at everyone.

The next day Vanessa is a bit calmer. The kids had been abnormally easy to get up and out of the house and the weather was unseasonably warm putting a bit of a pep in her step and making her clients a bit more cheerful as well. She decided that she would talk to Charity during her lunch break and let her come back home.

She’s out walking a Pomeranian when Chas stops beside her, “So you and Charity finally made up then?”

Vanessa frowns, “No, I haven’t seen her since yesterday afternoon.”

“Oh. Uh, yeah I should probably get back,” Chas is already walking backward.

“Why would you think we made up?” Vanessa doesn’t let her off the hook.

Chas sighs and moves back in front of Vanessa, “Charity was gone all night. I figured she had been at yours,” Chas fidgets uncomfortably. “I’ve been out most of the day though, I’m sure she’s doing her shift as we speak.”

“Let me put him back and I’ll walk down with you. I’m due a break.”

Chas looks hesitant but agrees easy enough. When they walk in Bob is behind the bar and Vanessa’s heart sinks.

“Have you seen Charity, Bob?” Chas asks.

“Nope. She never showed up,” he shrugs. It's not really an uncommon occurrence for Charity to not show up for a shift.

Vanessa sighs and slumps onto a stool, “What are the chances she’s not with Kate?” It's not so much Vanessa thinks that Charity will cheat, she’s almost certain she wouldn’t. It's more the fact she keeps choosing Kate over her.

Chas wraps a reassuring arm around her shoulders, “Not very likely I’m afraid.”

Bob wordlessly slides a pint in front of her. She nurses the pint for an hour. Rhona eventually wanders in and upon hearing what’s going on sit’s beside her, offering silent support. She’s just about to stand up to leave when Kate walks through the pub door. Dressed in clothes that are obviously from the night before and she’s alone.

“Where’s Charity?” Chas beats her to the question.

Kate frowns, “I don’t know. I just came in for some food.”

“But she was with you last night, yeah?” Vanessa starts to feel uneasy.

“Yeah, we went to a couple of clubs and then I pulled and lost track of her.”

“Pulled? Wait, aren’t you married?” Rhona asks.

Kate smirks in their direction and starts pulling items out of the giant handbag she’s always carrying around.

“That’s Charity’s purse,” Vanessa jumps up and grabs the object. And her phone!” she’s seething now. “You left her alone without money or phone in the city.”

Kate looks completely remorseless, “I was completely off my head,” she defends herself.

“With alcohol or something more? Was Charity as bad off?” she’s really starting to panic.

Kate’s face changes slightly, showing guilt.

“What did you do?” Vanessa moves into her personal space.

Kate scoffs, “I didn’t do anything,” she crams all of her stuff back in her bag. “I don’t need this right now,” she bumps Vanessa’s shoulder roughly on her way out.

“What am I supposed to do?” she asks Chas helplessly. “She could be anywhere.”

“Let's not panic, love,” Chas directs her to a chair. “Charity is ridiculously resourceful, she’ll be fine.”

Vanessa can feel herself starting to panic. Twenty different scenarios are going through her head.

“We need to call the hospitals and the police,” Rhona points out. Chas and Rhona are talking and planning when the pub door opens again.

Vanessa glances up to see Charity standing at the entrance with two officers. She looks horrible. Her clothes are dirty. Her right eye is bruised, swollen and filled with blood from a burst blood vessel.

“That’s her,” Charity points at Vanessa. Her voice sounds strange.

“Could you come here please?” the female officer gestures to Vanessa.

She jumps up, coming to a stop beside Charity who is avoiding eye contact.

“Mrs. Dingle here has had a rough go of it. I’m willing to leave her with you if you could confirm that you do indeed know her.”

“Yes, she’s my wife,” Vanessa keeps an eye on Charity as she tells Bob to give the officers a meal on the house.

“Why don’t you take her through the back,” Chas suggests. There’s worry in her gaze.

Charity follows her wordlessly. When they reach the back room Charity gingerly sits on the sofa. As soon as Vanessa closes the door Charity looks at her with tear-filled eyes.

“Please tell me I haven’t lost you,” her voice breaks.

“No,” Vanessa sit’s beside Charity grasping her hand. Charity holds on tightly. “Of course not. Tell me where you’ve been.”

Charity sighs, “We went for drinks. It was only supposed to be for an hour,” she rubs her face roughly. “I think she put something in my drink. I remember having a pleasant buzz. But then nothing. I woke up in an alley. I don’t even know how this happened,” she gestures to her face.

Vanessa gently lifts Charity’s face so she can examine it better, “Are you hurt anywhere else?” Vanessa keeps thinking of the things that could have happened during the time that Charity lost.

“My wrist is a bit sore, but nothing else. I’m OK. I’m so sorry,” Charity leans forward her forehead landing against Vanessa’s collar bone. “Do you still love me?” Charity sounds vulnerable. More so than Vanessa’s ever heard before.

“Of course I love you Charity,” she makes her look at her, placing a soft kiss on her head. “You look exhausted.”

“I really am. Can we go home? I promise to talk later, but I need a soak in a really hot bath.”

“That sounds good to me.”

Charity perks up, “You’re going to join me?”

Vanessa smiles at the hopeful expression on Charity’s face, “If that’s OK with you?”

Charity stands quickly, grimacing but trying to hide it, “I want nothing more, honestly.”

One of Vanessa’s favorite things about Jacobs Fold is the luxurious, well luxurious by Emmerdale standards, master suite. The bedroom is spacious, but Vanessa’s favorite par of possibly the whole house is the tub. It's obnoxiously big and she’s never been more thankful.

Charity is always the first in, liking the water nearly scalding hot. Vanessa always has to wait several minutes before she even attempts to get in. But sitting back and watching Charity Dingle lounge in a tub in all her glory is no hardship.

One end of the tub is higher than the other and Charity is leaning against it, her head back and her arms stretched along the sides. The water is milky from their favorite bath bomb, and it's just barely deep enough to graze Charity’s nipples.

The water is still steaming as she sits on the edge of the tub and runs a finger down the center of Charity’s chest. She watches as goosebumps break out over Charity’s skin despite the heat. She watches as her lips slide into a smile. She opens her eyes and despite her injuries and the last couple of days, she looks happy and at ease.

Vanessa can’t take it anymore she needs to feel Charity against her, “Sit up,” she removes her dressing gown, Charity eyes rake over her as they always do. It still fills her with warmth every time. It’s the same its been since the beginning.

She hisses as the water stings her skin as she lowers herself behind Charity. That’s all forgotten when she’s finally settled and Charity settles in her arms.

Charity is always so loud and abrasive. Always taking up the maximum amount of space in a room. Always on the offensive and guarded. So when she’s like this with Vanessa, completely open. All defenses down. It makes Vanessa feel ten feet tall. It makes her feel protective, that her duty in life is to protect Charity and what they have.

“I can’t believe I let her get in my head,” Charity says into the silence. “She’s always been a master manipulator. Always bragged about it. I can’t believe I was so fucking stupid.”

Vanessa holds her closer a hand against her chest, and kisses her shoulder, “You did regress. I didn’t like it. I don’t understand it.”

Charity sighs, “I know. She likes to hone in on people's insecurities, to get what she wants.”

“Your insecurities? What do you mean?” Vanessa asks even though she already has an idea of where this is going.

“She kept going on and on about how I was punching about my weight. About how I was going to ruin everything. That I don’t deserve to be happy because I’m a horrible person.”

“Charity,” they’ve been through this so many times before.

“I know,” Charity sighs grasping Vanessa’s hand, kissing her palm. “Seeing the disappointment on your face that first night, and how you pulled away from me. Even though you were amazing that night, it was just enough doubt for Kate to pick apart.”

Vanessa runs a soothing hand over Charity’s chest and stomach. Vanessa had learned early on Charity was calmed by silence and a soft gentle touch. They sit in silence, Charity completely relaxed against her until the water starts to chill.

They get out of the tub and Vanessa dries Charity and sends her to the bedroom telling her she’ll clean up. Charity gives her a soft kiss and shuffles out of the room.

She rushes through cleaning, wanting to get back to Charity as quick as possible. When she walks into the bedroom, the lamp on the nightstand is the only light in the room. Charity is sitting up against two pillows looking at something on her phone. She’s nude with the blankets around her waist. She doesn’t sleep nude often, it just means she doesn’t want anything between herself and Vanessa.

Vanessa takes off her dressing gown and pulls the duvet off of Charity before she climbs on the bed and straddles her.

“I love you so much,” she’s making sure Charity is looking into her eyes. She leans forward and kisses her deeply, Charity moans into the kiss. “I love everything about you. The good and the bad. There is nothing I would change about you,” she kisses her again, biting at her bottom lip. “We belong together me and you. I think we deserve to be together after all the bullshit we’ve been through,” she moves down, kissing along Charity’s chest, taking a rigid nipple into her mouth.

“Do you believe me?” She asks kissing back up to Charity's mouth.

Charity doesn’t answer right away and when Vanessa glances up, there’s uncertainty on her face.

Vanessa sits up straighter so she’s looking straight into Charity’s eyes, “Do you love me?”

“Yes,” Charity answers without hesitation.

“Do you want to spend the rest of your life with me?”

“Yes,” Charity again doesn’t hesitate.

“Then nothing else matters does it?”

Vanessa is taken off guard when Charity pulls her into a kiss and then maneuvers them until she’s on top one leg between Vanessa’s. She places a shockingly tender kiss on her lips, “I’m sorry I almost ruined us.”

“You didn’t,” Vanessa wraps her arms around Charity making her lay more fully on her. “You’re where you belong now. That’s all that matters, right?”

“Yes, that is exactly right,” Charity smiles and kisses Vanessa.

“Now, go to sleep. I can see your eyes starting to droop,” Charity chuckles and starts to move. “No, stay, I like you here.”

The next morning is a normal morning of waking up together and getting the kids off together. Chas had given Charity permission to show up late and they had spent a luxurious morning in bed. They hadn't had sex. They had spent the time simply talking and kissing. It had left Vanessa with a happy glow all day.

She’s still filling it when she walks into the pub after lunch to see Charity behind the bar looking bored out of her mind, despite the fact the pub is pretty full. As she approaches the bar Charity glances up and Vanessa flushes at the brilliant smile that spreads across her face. She moves in front of Vanessa reaching across and taking her hands.

“Where are the boys?” Charity was supposed to pick them up an hour earlier.

“I don’t know,” Charity says with a careless shrug. But before Vanessa can panic too much she laughs. “I’m joking babe. They’re in the back with a snack in front of the telly.”

Vanessa sighs, “I hate when you do that.”

Charity chuckles, “I know,” she leans across the bar and kisses Vanessa, probably a bit more intimately than is proper for the middle of the pub. They’re just catching up on their days when she feels Charity tense in her hands. She’s looking behind Vanessa.

When Vanessa turns she comes face to face with Kate who seems surprised to see them, “You’re not welcome here,” Vanessa wants nothing more than to drag Kate out by her hair but Charity's grasp on her hand keeps her from acting out.

“Are you going to make me?” Kate challenges, stepping toward Vanessa threateningly.

“Back off Kate,” Charity’s authoritative voice stops her short. “You need to leave.”

The tension seems to have penetrated the air because the whole pub has gone quiet.

“Oh come on Charity,” Kate looks exasperated. “This whole happy family's thing isn’t you,” she looks at Vanessa with disdain and steps up to the bar and reaches out to Charity.

But Vanessa catches her arm before she makes contact and throws it off, “Leave. Now.”

Kate smirks turning her attention back to Vanessa, “Well, this is an interesting side of Miss buttoned up, isn’t it?” she practically purrs.

But before she can say anything else Kate is physically pulled away from her and then Charity is physically pushing her out the door by her coat, “I’ll be right back,” she throws over her shoulder to Vanessa.

Vanessa really wants to follow them but resists. She can faintly hear shouting through the door that didn’t close all the way, but she can’t make out any of the words. Several minutes pass before Charity finally re-enters and she looks angry.

“She’s gone,” she reassures Vanessa.

Vanessa can see her shaking slightly, so she takes her hand, “You OK?”

Vanessa’s touch noticeably calms Charity, “Yes,” she shakes Vanessa’s hand and smiles. “How about after my shift we take the kids and have a family night out? I bet we can talk Noah and Sarah into going an all.”

And with those words Vanessa’s world rights itself. Charity’s eyes are bright and fully focused on her and the family. No longer shadowed with past fears and self-loathing.

“I’ve never heard of a better idea.”

END


End file.
